Best Shoulder Exercises and Workouts for Building Bigger Shoulders (2024)

Few men relish shoulder workouts, but neglect them at your peril. Failure to broaden out up top will mean that no matter how many sit-ups you do or how many inches you loose from your waist, you're not going to be able to carve out that coveted V-shape. To get that, you need shoulder exercises.

Not that working your shoulders is all about gains. In a study published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy patients with rotator cuff related shoulder pain saw significant improvements in pain and function thanks to three-weeks of daily shoulder exercises.

So for the good of your health, and to get you the best pump up top, we asked PT and osteopath James White, as well as our own fitness editor, Andrew Tracey, for some of their best shoulder exercises, which we then fashioned into an intense shoulder workout that builds muscle fast. The good news: if you've never really tested your shoulders before, gains will come quicker than anywhere else on your body. The bad news: our Ultimate Shoulder Workout isn't for the faint of heart.

Prepare to be top-heavy.

What Are the Muscles in the Shoulder Called?

Ok, so we can't start to build up the muscles in your shoulders without knowing what muscles make up your shoulders. Basically, the shoulder is made up of two groups of muscles: extrinsic muscles, which originate from the torso and attach to the bones of the shoulder, and intrinsic muscles, which originate from the scapula and/or clavicle and attach to the humerus.

The Shoulder's Extrinsic Muscles

Trapezius

Your trapezius is the triangle-shaped muscle that runs down along your spine and across your shoulder blade. You have both a right and left trapezius; these muscles support your arms and shoulders and are needed to raise your arms.

Latissimus Dorsi

The latissimus dorsi muscle is one of the largest muscles in your back and is partially covered by the trapezius. Developing your 'lats' will make it easier for you to manage your own bodyweight.

Levator Scapulae

Your levator scapulae muscle is located at the side and back of the neck. Its primary function is to lift the triangle-shaped bone located at the back of the shoulder (scapula) that connects your upper arm bone (humerus) with the clavicle (collarbone).

Rhomboids

The rhomboids are the muscles at the top of the back and middle of the shoulder blades. When they contract, they pull your shoulder blades together.

The Shoulder's Intrinsic Muscles

Deltoids

Your deltoid is made up of three main sets of muscle fibres: anterior, lateral and posterior, which are connected by a very thick tendon and are anchored into a V-shape. The deltoid muscle is primarily responsible for arm rotation, but it is also responsible for stopping dislocation and injury to the humerus when carrying heavy loads.

Teres Major

Teres major is a small muscle that's located on the underside of the upper arm. It's sometimes called 'lat's little helper' because of its partnership with the latissimus dorsi.

Rotator Cuff

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons, including teres minor, that surround the shoulder joint. They keep the head of your upper arm bone firmly within the shallow socket of the shoulder.

Is It a Good Idea to Train Shoulders Everyday?

When it comes to training frequency, there are many variables to take into account. For example, your age, your recovery routine, diet, and the intensity of your session all impacts how your body will react, recover and rebuild. For many people who want quick results, however, it can be tempting to train the same body part everyday. But it’s not the best solution. In fact, constantly putting your body under such continual stress could lead to illness and injury.

'How much work you do over a week, a month or longer is far more important than how much work you do in any individual session,' says Tracey. 'So, if you’re currently training your shoulders once a week, repeating that session three to four times a week is probably a recipe for disaster. Instead, look at how you can increase your workload, so you’re still doing more, then look at how you can spread that work over the course of a week. That way, you're likely to shock your shoulders into growth and also be able to hit each movement with more intensity.'

Let's put it into practice:

Take your current shoulder workout and spread the movements our across the week, beginning each of your gym sessions with a focus on hitting that movement as hard as possible. Even if you don’t increase the amount of sets you perform, you’ll still find that you’re able to perform more reps, at heavier weights leading to huge growth. This is known as ‘priority training’.

One important thing to consider is that although you may think of ‘the shoulders’ as a muscle group, they’re also a joint. And not just any joint, the primary joint through which most of your upper body movements take place. So when considering how often we should train the shoulder muscles directly throughout the week, we have to take into consideration how much work the shoulder joints are already doing in movements such as bench pressing, dips, pull-ups and rows. Overloading the shoulder joint with an excess of movements, especially ‘pressing’ movements, is a recipe for overuse injuries.

Top tip: Movements where you’re using a ‘neutral grip’ (your palms are facing one another, as opposed to up or down), tend to be much friendlier on the shoulders, so incorporate them as often as possible to maximise your shoulder training while minimising injury.

How Long Does It Take to Build Bigger Shoulders?

When it comes to muscle growth it’s not about how much work you can do, but how much work you can recover from. So, simply performing more and more work won’t necessarily reward you with more and more muscle – you have to allow adequate time between sessions for recovery to happen or else you risk actually impeding growth. Luckily, the deltoids are split into distinct sessions which are fairly easy to isolate, allowing you to target individual muscles such as the front, side or rear delts on their own days, allowing them plenty of time to recover while you’re hitting other areas.

How long your shoulders will take to grow depends on your training age, your nutrition and genetics. But if you haven’t seen any deltoid growth in a while and decide to prioritise your shoulders with more volume, more frequency and a focus on progressively overloading (four to six key lifts) you can expect to see some growth within four to six weeks. Just remember to consume adequate protein for recovery (1.5-2g per KG of bodyweight), and enough calories to fuel your training sessions.

12 Best Shoulder Exercises, Period

With so many muscles to work, no one exercise will cover everything, which is why we've put together a list of 12 shoulder exercises that target different muscles. According to White, no shoulder workout is complete without these moves, but if you're wondering how to put these into a routine, check out the Ultimate Shoulder Workout below.

Barbell Standing Press

This bodybuilder staple targets your shoulders, but also works your whole body. 'It's a great overall mass builder,' says White. 'These are really good for strengthening your core and increasing overall strength due to the stability aspect of this movement.' Start with your hardest move to ensure you've got the core strength to maintain perfect form.

Grab a barbell and hold it at shoulder height with palms facing forwards. Set your feet shoulder width apart and slightly bend your knees to initiate the move. Push up with your legs to explosively press the barbell straight above your head. Return under control to the start position.

Seated Dumbbell Press

Re-rack your barbell and grab a pair of dumbbells, it's time for a seated dumbbell press. This exercise is performed sitting down because it helps isolate the shoulder motion. 'These are really good for not only handling a lot of weight, but also having the freedom of using dumbbells,' White tells MH. 'You can bring them nice and low to get a really full range of motion.' Take a load off your feet and put a load on your delts.

Sit on the bench holding two dumbbells at shoulder height with an overhand grip. Press the weights up above your head until your arms are fully extended. Return slowly to the start position.

Arnold Press

Named for their Mr Universe-winning, Predator-killing inventor, the rotating motion at the end of this exercise hits more than the standard press to fill out that V-shape. 'It's nice way to do a conventional press while adjusting position to target the anterior deltoids,' says White.

Sit on a bench with dumbbells held in front of you, palms facing your shoulders as though you've just finished a bicep curl. Push the dumbbells up over your head while rotating your arms until your palms face away from you. Straighten your arms, pause, then reverse the movement.

Lateral Raise

The slower you can perform these raises, the more they'll hurt – and the better you're going to look. 'Lateral raises are perfect for isolating the medial part of the deltoid,' White explains. 'They're more commonly used with a lighter weight and higher reps.' You'll still be gritting your teeth by the end of the third set.

Grab a couple of dumbbells and stand with them by your sides, with your palms facing your body. Stand tall with your core switched on and shoulder blades pulled back and down. Keeping your back straight, and your upper body still. Lift the dumbbells out to your side with a slight bend at your elbows, keeping the weights higher than your forearms. Lift until your arms are parallel to the floor then slowly lower to the start position.

Half-kneeling Archer Row

While kneeling with only your left knee on the ground. grasp a light resistance band in both hands and engage your glutes and abs. Straighten your right arm and look at it. Tighten your back muscles and keep your right arm straight. Bring your left hand close to your right elbow. Pull the band apart with your right hand, as if pulling a bow, squeezing your back and shoulder muscles and bending your elbow as you do this.

Bent-Over Reverse Fly

This lateral raise variant will hit you where it hurts, working both shoulders and back. White loves them. 'It's one of the best exercises for targeting the posterior deltoid. For more focus on the movement and less on stabilising things, try placing a bench at 45 degrees and perform this movement lying face down on it.' Atlas-level shoulders are on the way.

Grab a pair of dumbbells and bend forward at your hips until your torso is nearly parallel to the floor. Set your feet shoulder-width apart. Let the dumbbells hang straight down from your shoulders, your palms facing each other, with your arms slightly bent. Keeping your back flat and your torso sill, raise your arms straight out to your sides until they’re in line with your body. Don't change the bend in your elbows. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.

Upright Row

'Another great mass builder,' says White. 'Get your elbows higher than your hands for a peak contraction of the deltoid. The upright row also targets the traps.' Compound moves like this benefit from heavier fare than the raises, allowing for less reps and bigger weights to keep your delts in shock.

Hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting in front of your thigh. Lift the dumbbells vertically until they're in line with your collar bone, with your elbow pointing towards the ceiling. Lower the dumbbell back down and repeat.

Incline Bench Combo L-to-Lateral Raise

Holding light dumbbells at your sides, lie facedown on an incline bench set to a 45-degree angle. Tighten your core, glutes, and shoulder blades. Raise both arms out to the sides explosively, then lower. Repeat the sequence, this time pausing for a second at the top of the motion. Lower. Now raise one arm toward the front, taking care to keep your thumb pointed upward just slightly, and the other out to the side. Lower, then repeat, this time pausing at the top. Lower, and repeat the sequence on the other side.

Kettlebell Single-Arm Press


Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, and hold a kettlebell in front of your shoulder with your palm in, elbow tucked, and the weight resting on the top of your forearm. Press it straight up, rotating your arm so your palm faces forward. Do the same number of presses for both arms.

Front Raises

White recommends front raises for anyone those that have gone through the routine and feel short-changed in the front. 'It’s unlikely that your anterior delts need extra work, so spend more time on your lateral and posterior deltoids. However, if you feel you want to hit your front deltoids harder, then a front raise is the one for you.' Again, low weight and high reps help you maintain form for shirt-busting gains.

Grab a pair of dumbbells and let them hang at arm’s length next to your sides, with your palms facing each other. Bend your elbows just slightly and hold them that way. Raise your arms straight in front of you until they’re parallel to the floor and perpendicular to your torso. The dumbbells should be at shoulder level and the thumb sides of your hands should be facing up. Pause, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

3-Way Shoulder Raise

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with dumbbells in each hand. Lift laterally first, keeping your arms straight and raising dumbbells to shoulder height. Pause briefly with weights at sides, then bring them in front of you, making sure to keep your arms straight. Keep going until the dumbbells almost meet in the middle, then still keeping arms straight, lift the dumbbells overhead. Reverse the sequence to come back down, so return from overhead to centre, then out to sides and finally bring the dumbbells back down to the start. That’s 1 rep.

Shrugs

Hold a dumbbell in each hand by your side with your palms facing inwards. Raise your shoulders as high as you can, then lower them back down and repeat.

The Best Shoulder Workouts for Mass

We understand you're not always looking to build lean, muscular physiques, sometimes you just want to get bigger and look badder. If that's the case and you're looking to build shoulders that Dwayne Johnson would be proud of then check out these shoulder workouts that build mass, including a workout that's designed to build shoulders like The Rock himself.

1. Build Shoulder Size Like The Rock
2. Supersize Your Shoulders With Our Four Week Plan
3. This One-Move Dumbbell Ladder Builds Boulder Shoulders in 10 Minutes
4. This Dumbbell Workout Is Your Ticket to Boulder Shoulders
5. Blow up Your Shoulders and Build Stamina With This 420-Rep Single Dumbbell Workout
   

8 More Dumbbell Shoulder Exercises

If you can't make it to the gym and all you have is a set of dumbbells to work with then don't worry, we have a set of exercises that are perfect for you.

Two Arm Dumbbell Upright Row

Hold a dumbbell in each hand, resting in front of your thigh. Lift the dumbbells vertically until they're in line with your collar bone, with your elbow pointing towards the ceiling. Lower the dumbbell back down and repeat.

See Saw Press

Hold two dumbbells just behind your shoulders, palms facing forward. Look up and tilt your body to the left, extending your right arm straight above you. Lower the dumbbell and repeat on the other side to create a see-saw motion.

Standing Military Press

Position your feet close together and lift the dumbbells up to your shoulders, palms facing forward. Press the dumbbells above your head explosively until your arms are fully extended, then lower the weights under control.

Seated Lateral Raise

Sit on a bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand by your side. Raise both dumbbells to your side until they're shoulder height. Lower under control and repeat.

Shadow Boxing with Dumbbells

Stand holding two dumbbells at shoulder height with an underhand grip. Adopt a fighting stance and bounce on your toes as you shadow box. Dip and weave to your heart's content. Just don't drop the weights on your toes.

Lying Rear Delt Fly

Lie on a bench, chest facing down, with a dumbbell in each hand underneath your shoulders. Slightly bend your elbows and raise your arms to the side until they're in line with your body. Lower the dumbbells to the floor and repeat.

One Arm Dumbbell Swing

Hold a dumbbell at arms length between your legs. Sink into a squat and swing the dumbbell through your legs before immediately driving yourself forward, bringing the dumbbell up towards your head as you straighten your legs. Repeat this movement, then swap sides.

Spellcaster

Hold a dumbbell in either hand and stand with your legs wide, knees slightly bent. Swing both dumbbells to one side and lift them up as though drawing a circle from hip level to above shoulder height. Swing the weights to the other side, dipping down to your hip before raising them again. Keep repeating this motion.

4 Great Exercises for Wider Shoulders

When it comes to shoulders, width is king. These exercises – some of which you may have already seen on this page – will help create wider shoulder and build that coveted V-shape that you're after.

Seated Lateral Raise

Sit on a bench and hold a dumbbell in each hand by your side. Raise both dumbbells to your side until they're shoulder height. Lower under control and repeat.

Face Pulls

Set a rope attachment and set it upper chest height. Hold the rope with an overhand grip and step back to create tension. Sit into your hips and pull the cable, allowing your elbows to flare out to the side. Pull the rope towards your face. Hold, engage your deltoids and upper back before returning to starting position.

Dumbbell Front Raise

Grab a pair of dumbbells and let them hang at arm’s length next to your sides. Raise your arms straight in front of you until they’re parallel to the floor and perpendicular to your torso. The dumbbells should be at shoulder level and the thumb sides of your hands should be facing up. Pause, then slowly lower the dumbbells back to the starting position.

Overhead Press

Stand upright and hold a barbell or pair of dumbbells at upper chest height – hands shoulder-width apart. Press the weight above your head, arms extended while keeping your shoulder drawn in. Lower to starting position.

10 Best Alternative Shoulder Exercises

The majority of your shoulder workouts are going to be comprised of pressing and raising, but that's not all they should be comprised of. Our fitness editor, Andrew Tracey, has put together a list of the best alternative shoulder exercises that are certain to keep you programme interesting.

Dumbbell Y Press

Start in a regular shoulder press position, but instead of pressing straight upwards, press up and away at about a 45 degree angle. 'This is super beneficial if you're limited to light wights as you can still get that stimulus on your delts,' says Tracey.

Seesaw Arnold Press

Take a seat on a box or a bench and hold your dumbbells in front of your shoulders, with palms facing you. From here, press one arm up, turning your palm as you go. As that weight is descending into the original position, begin to lift and turn your other arm. This should give your shoulders a huge amount of time under tension and really hit those delts.

Laying Front Raises

Position your dumbbells so they're in line with your hips and lie back on the floor. Keeping your arms straight, lift the dumbbells until they're in line with your forehead. Bring the dumbbells back down nice and slow, before exploding back up to the top. "This one's real old school," says Tracey.

Handstand Press-up

'Quite an advanced exercise this one,' says Tracey, 'but if you've got it in the bank it's worth adding in.' Stand around a foot away from the wall, kick up and from here press your head down to the floor before pushing away. Remember to keep you legs straight at all times.

Pike Press-ups

If handstand press-ups are a little too advanced, grab a box, a bench or a chair and try some pike press-ups. Put your feet on whatever your using and create a nice hinge at your hips. Keep you legs and arms straight. Hand should be underneath shoulders. Lower your head to the floor, before pushing away.

Wall Walks

Start in a press-up position with your feet against a wall. Walk you feet higher up the wall and as you do walk you hands in towards the wall. Keeping your body straight, return to the original position. That's one rep.

Reverse Ring Flyes

Holding onto two rings, lean back with your arms straight. The further below the rings your torso is, the more difficult this exercise is going to be. From here, pull your shoulder blades back and open your arms to 90 degrees.

Hang Clean and Push Press

Start with a barbell on the floor and deadlift it up. 'Every rep is going to come from this hang position,' says Tracey. Next, muscle the bar onto your chest, before pushing it above your shoulders. Lower the bar onto the chest and then back into the original hang position.

Behind the Body Rear Delt Raises

Take an empty barbell, or a light barbell, and place it behind your back. With straight arms lift it up and back. 'What you're doing here is hitting those rear delts and the back of your shoulders, which are really neglected, particularly if you do a lot of bench pressing,' says Tracey.

Y-Pulls

Standing with a TRX in front of you, grab the handles and lean backwards. If you’re in the right position, your feet should be in front of you and you should feel some tension in the straps. Keeping your body straight, engage the core and pull your chest forward while raising your arms in a Y shape at the same time. Return under control to the start position.

Shoulder Workout Bodyweight Exercises to Try

No weights? No problem. Below, we share a triad of bodyweight blasters to add to your next shoulder workout — no barbell or squat rack necessary.

Box Pike Press-up

Place your feet on a box and assume a plank position. Walk your hands towards the box until your torso is 45 degrees to the floor. Bend your arms, slowly lowering your head to the ground. Pause here, then push back up explosively.

Handstand Press-up

Kick up into handstand position against a wall. Bend at the elbows, slowly lowering your head to the ground. Pause, then push back up, keeping your body rigid throughout.

Related: Your Complete Guide to Nailing Press-Ups

Hindu Press-up

Assume press-up position, then push your hips up to form an inverted ‘V’. Lower your nose to the floor between your hands, then shift your weight forwards and lift your chest as your hips lower to the ground. Reverse to the start.

How To Avoid Getting Injured During Shoulder Workouts

While we recommend that you train shoulders, it's important to remember that the shoulder joint is notoriously prone to injury, so you have to be careful that you're not overdoing it.

Every shoulder workout should begin with you mobilising the shoulder joints. Before you touch a weight, spend five to ten minutes activating your shoulder muscles and increasing your range of motion (we like to do plank twists with a reach through for this). Then, when you start your workout you should begin some high-rep sets of the first exercise using very light weights, or even no weights at all. This will get the shoulder used to the movements it is about to do so you’re not starting your first set cold.

Once you’re into your workout, you need to manage the weight you're lifting. If you start to struggle, drop the weight or pickup a lighter option. Go hard or go home might work for some muscles, but when it comes to shoulder workouts it’s just not worth it. Don't be a hero. This brings us to our next point...

The Best Move for Bulletproof Shoulders

Without a doubt, the best move to strengthen your shoulders if you suffer from niggles is the Landmine Press. According to MH fitness editor Andrew Tracey, 'The tall kneeling landmine press is a great option for trainees struggling with overhead pressing, whether through injury, lack of mobility, or just plain boredom. The slightly tweaked angle – you’re pressing up and forwards, requiring much less mobility through the shoulders – and the semi-fixed range of motion and greater inclusion of the chest muscles all help to alleviate many of the issues associated with overhead pressing. With this move, you can keep growing those delts even through niggles or periods of injury.'

How:

1. With your barbell anchored at one end and loaded at the other, lift the loaded end onto your shoulder and step backwards with your leg.
2. With the opposite foot from the barbell forward, knee high, squeeze your empty hand, contract your glutes and brace your core to create tension through your entire body.
3. Take a deep breath, filling your torso and push the barbell away from your shoulder explosively, following the natural arc that the barbell will create. Keep your torso upright throughout, resisting any twisting motion.
4. Slowly lower the weight back down to your shoulder under control, but don’t let your shoulder dip, maintain an upright upper body.
5. Repeat for as many reps as prescribed before standing up, switching arms and repeating with the opposite side.

Shoulder Workout Mistakes to Avoid

As we've shown up to now, there's far more to mastering a shoulder workout than endlessly pressing weight overhead. In fact, to make the most of your next shoulder workout, you'll want to heed the advice of Tracey, who has a few nuggets of wisdom:

Neglecting Your Shoulder Mobility

'One assessment you should do is to lay flat on the floor with your knees bent and put your hands up above your head and lower your hands, over-stretching directly above your head, to touch the floor,' says Tracey. 'If you can't touch the floor without your back arching, you might not have the mobility to suggest that pressing overhead is safe. You may have some sort of inflexibility in your ribcage or lats.'

Control the Movement, Both Ways

'If you’re pressing overhead and your goal is to build muscle or strength, we want to make sure we’re controlling it through that eccentric (lowering) phase,' says Tracey. 'If you’re blasting the weight up or swinging the weight up and not controlling it back down, you’re essentially doing half the rep. Within that eccentric phase is where you can build even more strength and muscle.'

Treat Your Shoulders Fairly

Don’t just focus on your front belts, warns Tracey, as they get plenty of attention elsewhere. 'Your front deltoids get a tonne of work, they’re hugely active when you’re bench pressing and overhead pressing,' he explains. 'Unless you’re a competitive bodybuilder aiming for that next one per cent, you don’t need to do additional accessory work. Make sure you’re balancing out your ‘pushing’ movements with your ‘pulling’ movements for both shoulder health and posture. Focus on rear delt flyes.'

Ultimate Shoulder Workout

Without further ado, here is our ultimate shoulder workout. Perform these seven moves twice a week and watch as your shoulders double in size.

1

Barbell Push Press

2

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3

Arnold Press

4

Dumbbell Upright Row

5

Lateral Raise

6

Seated Bent-over Rear-delt Fly

7

Single Dumbbell Front Raise